PRETORIA, South Africa, Nov. 2 — South Africans began casting special votes Monday ahead of Wednesday's local government elections, with more than 2.6 million voters approved to participate in the two-day exercise.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) deployed 127,000 officials nationwide to administer voting at polling stations and conduct home visits for eligible voters.
IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said the commission was ready to oversee the exercise and urged voters to follow electoral procedures.
"The Commission appeals to all approved home visit voters to remain at their addresses during the two days, until the Electoral Commission staff has assisted them to vote," Mamabolo said.
The IEC approved 2,655,067 special vote applications, representing a 131% increase from the 2021 municipal elections.
Of these, 678,525 voters qualified for home visits because of physical infirmity or disability, while 1,976,542 received approval to vote at designated polling stations.
Voting stations opened at 8 a.m. and are scheduled to close at 5 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday.
Gauteng recorded the highest number of approved special voters, followed by the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
The commission also called for calm amid security concerns ahead of the elections.
"Therefore, the Commission calls on all stakeholders to respect the integrity of the process and refrain from any conduct that could intimidate voters or electoral officials, obstruct voting or interfere with approved home visit routes, and with election materials," Mamabolo said.
The IEC is working with security agencies to protect voters, electoral officials and election materials throughout the voting period.
Authorities have also warned that rainfall could affect voting operations in parts of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape.
The commission said officials would securely store special votes until Wednesday, when counting will begin alongside ballots cast during the main elections.
South Africans will vote Wednesday to elect representatives responsible for municipal governance and local service delivery.
